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At Gold Medal Fitness, positive energy does as much work as anyone's muscles to propel group classes. These courses cover the grounded poses of Power Yoga, the barbell lifts of BodyPump, and the festive spins of Zumba with more than 50 sessions per week. Cyclists can even choose between 45-minute spin classes and the more vigorous rides of super spin, which increase the challenge by adding an extra 15 minutes and asking your parents to stop putting a stabilizing hand on your back. Regardless of the discipline, however, instructors motivate their students by carefully balancing the room's camaraderie with a honed focus on every individual.
This personal approach typifies the gym as a whole, where the staff strive to memorize each member's name as they arrange workouts for all fitness levels. A nationally accredited team of personal trainers draws on specialties from boxing to Pilates to back rehabilitation, pushing their clients toward coveted milestones. On the gym floor, an assortment of machinery and free weights, as well as a designated stretching area, bespeaks the same regard for diverse goals—visitors can complete a round of resistance work on the FreeMotion circuit equipment, toss a medicine ball to a partner, or step onto a StairMaster. Other amenities include a childcare station, athletic speed school, HydroMassage, and a juice bar.

Whether coaching students as individuals or in a group setting, the certified instructors at the Westfield School of Dance draw from years of teaching and performance experience in their chosen styles. All are specialized in one to three disciplines of dance, and pass on their knowledge through a progressive syllabus in a range of classes. They organize students by skill level, coaching them in tap, jazz, modern dance, Russian ballet, and musical-theatre performance. For more experienced dancers and aspiring professionals, they also conduct work-study programs and student-teacher training. These experiences allow students to work alongside their teachers as well as guest artists to learn new choreography, develop teaching techniques, and uncover the mystery of what really happened that fateful night at Swan Lake.
Throughout the year, students are given the chance to showcase what they've learned in two venues. In the more minimalistic setting of the Black Box, beginner-level students perform original choreographed dance concerts. The annual spring Main Stage show folds novice through advanced dancers into a full-scale production, complete with live musicians, costumes, scenery, and props.

Enjoy a filling Spanish lunch or dinner at Spanish Tavern.
When you're ready to pig out, Spanish Tavern is ready to serve you the scrumptious food you're craving.
Catch the sports highlights on one of the TVs at Spanish Tavern.
Load up the mini-van and bring the kids to Spanish Tavern — they'll love the menu and scene here as much as mom and dad.
Sometimes it's hard to find space for everyone in your party, but Spanish Tavern makes it easy. Book your room today.
Check email, shop online, or get the latest game scores on Spanish Tavern's free wifi.
The bar can fill to capacity on the weekends, so don't forget to call ahead to reserve your table.
Spanish Tavern's dress code is casual — diners are welcome to dress up (or down) to their comfort level.
You can also grab your food to go.
A catering menu is also available if you're looking to dazzle the visitors at your next shindig.
Drivers rejoice! Valet and lot parking is made simple at Spanish Tavern.
Prices are a bit on the higher side, so this might be a good pick for a special night out.

After three decades as the Westfield Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra announced a new name in 2013 to signal its evolving artistic mission and growing love of confetti. Having cultivated musical excellence in Westfield for so long, they turned their attention to bringing that culture to a statewide audience. Their concerts are a celebration of symphonic music both classical and contemporary, including world premieres from local composers, and operas-in-concert in collaboration with Opera at Florham.

The team of certified yoga instructors at Aquarian Yoga Center don't just teach their students; they also establish a community. Yogis immerse visitors of all ages and ability levels in the lifestyle, chiefly by following the tenets of yoga lifestyle. In many of the 25 classes each week, they guide students through breathing exercises and the yoga poses, pairing these exercises with meditation, and/or the beat of a gong. Major yoga styles, such as hatha yoga, and vinyasa flow, and kundalini yoga round out the offerings. Meanwhile, a packed calendar of events such as concerts, kirtan, and dance classes allow guests to explore other cultural pursuits. An on-site retail shop helps students continue their practice with goods ranging from organic healthcare products and oils to yoga clothing and books.

This week’s list includes a book release party for a YouTube star, a street festival with ballerinas, and a 1990s French film that blends sci-fi with film noir. And as always, check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City.
St. Vincent
Prospect Park | Saturday, August 9, 7:30 p.m.
With guitar-rock anthems like “Cheerleader” and “Digital Witness” to her name, there’s no question that Annie Clark can shred. But on tour to support her self-titled fourth album, the woman known as St. Vincent has taken her performances to the next level, with bold costumes and onstage theatrics that recall Prince at his 1980s peak. Thrall to her goddess-like power at the last of summer’s free Celebrate Brooklyn! concerts at the Prospect Park Bandshell. Brooklyn songwriter and composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, aka San Fermin, opens. (9th Street and Prospect Park West; doors at 6:30 p.m.; free)
Check out our guide to cheap eats near Prospect Park.
Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival
Harlem | Saturday, August 9, noon to 7 p.m.
Students from DTH’s intensive summer programs pirouette across the stage during this seven-hour celebration of the arts, performing alongside special guests such as bluesman Keith “The Captain” Gamble and Repstyles, a Philadelphia b-boy crew. Street vendors hawk food, clothing, books, and jewelry between acts. (West 152nd Street between Amsterdam and Nicholas Avenues; free)
Midnight Murakami
Greenpoint | Monday, August 11, 10:30 p.m.
Like hopeful kids staying up for Santa, fans of Japanese author Haruki Murakami gather at WORD this Monday to await the midnight arrival of his latest novel, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. Donuts and wine are provided, as is entertainment: participants who sign up in advance can read their favorite excerpts from his previous novels to the anticipation-jangled crowd. A $25.95 preorder of the book is required to attend. (126 Franklin St.; 10:30 p.m.; free with book purchase)
My Drunk Kitchen Launch Party
SoHo | Wednesday, August 13, 7 p.m.
YouTube sensation Hannah Hart will make an IRL appearance at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe this Wednesday to celebrate the publication of her new “cookbook,” My Drunk Kitchen: A Guide to Eating, Drinking, and Going with Your Gut. In her My Drunk Kitchen videos, Hart gulps glasses of wine before ad-libbing her way through recipes, often digressing into topics from turning 30 to bitcoin between sautés and shiraz spills. It’s not clear what cooking, if any, will occur at the launch party, but at the very least, guests will have the opportunity to skim the book’s illustrated pages for more of Hart’s laugh-out-loud-funny anecdotes. (126 Crosby St.; free)
Level Five
Fort Greene | Friday, August 15–Thursday, August 21
In this intense and visually arresting film from French director Chris Marker, a woman relives the loss of her lover while programming a video game about World War II’s Battle of Okinawa. A blend of sci-fi and film-noir aesthetics pervades the film’s examination of the nature of trauma both personal and historical. Never before screened in North America, the 1997 film kicks off BAMcinématek’s month-long retrospective of Marker’s work, which includes the dreamlike classics La Jetée (1962) and Sans Soleil (1983). (Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Ave.; $9–$14; tickets available soon)

It’s always tempting to skip ahead to the end of what you’re reading, whether it’s a suspenseful novel or an especially gripping list of things to do this week. But try to stick it out for the whole list below: you’ll be rewarded with news of a deviled-egg contest, an art-centric block party, and concerts in genres from bossa nova to folk. We won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say it includes cold and frosty treats. If that’s still not a sweet enough conclusion, you can always check Groupon for more great things to do in New York City.
Kegs & Kluckers at Brooklyn Brewery
Williamsburg | Monday, July 14
As urban chicken-keepers know, hens love snacking on grains leftover from brewing beer. The Good Beer Month event Kegs & Kluckers celebrates this symbiotic relationship with festivities that benefit Just Food’s City Chicken Project. Unlimited Brooklyn Brewery drafts flow as guests enjoy complimentary snacks, Egg Olympic Games, and a deviled-egg competition emceed by Matt Timms, creator of The Takedowns. (79 N. 11 St., Brooklyn; $25; buy tickets here; 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
Twin Forks & Chris Carrabba at Rough Trade
Williamsburg | Wednesday, July 16, at 9 p.m.
Best known as the breathy voice of emo band Dashboard Confessional, Chris Carrabba takes on a folksier twang in songs with his new band, Twin Forks. Though the down-home details are there—Carrabba spent three years learning fingerpicking guitar for the project—Twin Forks also brings a stadium-size bluster that reflects Carrabba’s arena-rock past. Don’t miss the upbeat orchestral pop of openers Miracles of Modern Science, who create danceable tunes with a cello, a violin, and a double bass. (64 N. 9th St., Brooklyn; $15 advance, $17 day-of; buy tickets here; Doors at 8 p.m.)
Hear a playlist of Chris Carrabba’s favorite movie-soundtrack songs on the Groupon Guide.
Bebel Gilberto at Prospect Park Bandshell
Prospect Park | Friday, July 18, at 7 p.m.
With its mix of samba rhythms and lilting classical guitar, bossa nova is the ideal soundtrack for a cool midsummer night. It can’t hurt to add the ethereal voice of Bebel Gilberto, the daughter of bossa nova legend João Gilberto, to the mix. Her free concert at Prospect Park Bandshell this Friday kicks off Brasil Summerfest, a monthlong celebration of Brazilian music and culture that runs through July 26. (9th St. & Prospect Park West; free)
New Museum Block Party
Lower East Side | Saturday, July 19, from noon to 5 p.m.
Music and art abound at the New Museum’s annual get-together in Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Visitors construct their own decorative maps, artwork-filled memory games, and other crafts at interactive workshops, while the music of performers like singer-songwriter Joy Askew and operatic impresario M. Lamar fills the air. Afterward, guests can head to the museum for free, family-family tours of Here and Elsewhere, a new exhibition of contemporary Arab art that fully opens on July 16. (Chrystie St. between Delancey St. & Broome St.; free)
Ice Cream Social at Hester Street Fair
Lower East Side | Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The vendors might be local, but Hester Street Fair’s celebration of ice-cold sweets brings together flavors from all over the globe. Guests can sample La Newyorkina’s Mexican paletas, Lezzetli Ice Cream’s Turkish-inspired scoops, and Hello Halo’s Filipino shaved ice, among other frosty treats. A blind-tasting contest tests visitors’ ice-cream IQ, and the Street Fair’s other wares await browsing. As an added incentive, Uber users who use the promo code Hester30 get up to $30 off their ride to the event. (Hester St. & Essex St.; free)
Can’t make it to Hester Street? Try a top New York ice-cream shop from this Groupon Guide list.
Photo of Bebel Gilberto by Harper Smith. Photo of Twin Forks courtesy of Reybee Productions and Tristan Casey.